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Abstract:

A system, computer product and method are provided for a card issuer
providing a prepaid gift card to a purchaser, the gift card usable by a
recipient of the card to pay merchants who participate in a financial
network. The method includes receiving a payment of a predetermined
amount, and loading the predetermined amount received from the purchaser
into the prepaid gift card. The method further includes activating the
loaded prepaid gift card, the activated prepaid gift card being usable by
the recipient for paying any of the merchants in the financial network
until the predetermined amount loaded in the prepaid gift card is
exhausted, and being usable by the recipient to obtain a benefit beyond
what is purchased from at least some of the merchants in the financial
network.

Claims:

1. A method comprising: offering, by a computer based system for
facilitating benefit data and via a website, new transaction account
offers associated with a transaction account, wherein the transaction
account is associated with a theme of a plurality of themes, wherein a
particular transaction account is selected by a purchaser based in part
on a particular offer; obtaining, by the computer based system, benefit
data associated with a merchant, wherein the benefit data represents a
benefit that is beyond what is purchased by the transaction account,
wherein the benefit data associated with use of the transaction account
is provided via the website, wherein the merchant is part of a subset of
merchants associated with the theme, and wherein the merchant provides
benefit data to the website; and associating, by the computer based
system, the benefit data with the transaction account.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the transaction account includes a
transaction instrument associated with the transaction account including
a surface displaying an indication of the associated theme, and wherein
the benefit data is related to the theme.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the theme is at least one of weddings,
movies, restaurants, children, teens and birthdays.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, by the computer
based system, discount data or promotion code data for use in connection
with the benefit data.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, by the computer
based system, purchase transaction data including data representing the
merchant, wherein the purchase transaction data is a result of using the
transaction account in a transaction with the merchant.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, by the computer
based system, that the merchant is part of the subset of the merchants
within a financial network.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtaining the benefit data is in
response to a determination that a merchant is part of the subset of the
merchants.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the transaction account is at least one
of a charge account, a credit account, a stored value account, a debit
account, an access account and a pre-paid account.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the benefit data is automatically
obtained in response to using the transaction account in a transaction
with the merchant determined to be part of the subset of the merchants
associated with the theme.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the issuing further comprises
associating, by the computer based system, an identifier with the
transaction account to obtain the benefit.

11. A system comprising: a processor for facilitating benefit data, a
tangible, non-transitory memory configured to communicate with the
processor, the tangible, non-transitory memory having instructions stored
thereon that, in response to execution by the processor, cause the
processor to be capable of performing operations comprising: offering, by
the processor and via a website, new transaction account offers
associated with a transaction account, wherein the transaction account is
associated with a theme of a plurality of themes, wherein a particular
transaction account is selected by a purchaser based in part on a
particular offer; obtaining, by the processor, benefit data associated
with a merchant, wherein the benefit data represents a benefit that is
beyond what is purchased by the transaction account, wherein the benefit
data associated with use of the transaction account is provided via the
website, wherein the merchant is part of a subset of merchants associated
with the theme, and wherein the merchant provides benefit data to the
website; and associating, by the processor, the benefit data with the
transaction account.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the transaction account includes a
transaction instrument associated with the transaction account including
a surface displaying an indication of the associated theme, and wherein
the benefit data is related to the theme.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the theme is at least one of
weddings, movies, restaurants, children, teens and birthdays.

14. The system of claim 11, further comprising receiving, by the computer
based system, discount data or promotion code data for use in connection
with the benefit data.

15. The system of claim 11, further comprising receiving, by the computer
based system, purchase transaction data including data representing the
merchant, wherein the purchase transaction data is a result of using the
transaction account in a transaction with the merchant.

16. The system of claim 11, further comprising determining, by the
computer based system, that the merchant is part of the subset of the
merchants within a financial network.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the obtaining the benefit data is in
response to a determination that a merchant is part of the subset of the
merchants.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the transaction account is at least
one of a charge account, a credit account, a stored value account, a
debit account, an access account and a pre-paid account.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the benefit data is automatically
obtained in response to using the transaction account in a transaction
with the merchant determined to be part of the subset of the merchants
associated with the theme.

20. An article of manufacture including a non-transitory, tangible
computer readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that,
in response to execution by a computer-based system for facilitating
benefit data, cause the computer-based system to be capable of performing
operations comprising: offering, by the computer based system and via a
website, new transaction account offers associated with a transaction
account, wherein the transaction account is associated with a theme of a
plurality of themes, wherein a particular transaction account is selected
by a purchaser based in part on a particular offer; obtaining, by the
computer based system, benefit data associated with a merchant, wherein
the benefit data represents a benefit that is beyond what is purchased by
the transaction account, wherein the benefit data associated with use of
the transaction account is provided via the website, wherein the merchant
is part of a subset of merchants associated with the theme, and wherein
the merchant provides benefit data to the website; and associating, by
the computer based system, the benefit data with the transaction account.

Description:

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is a continuation of, claims priority to and the
benefit of, U.S. Ser. No. 11/555,060 filed Oct. 31, 2006 and entitled
"SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING A GIFT CARD WHICH AFFORDS BENEFITS
BEYOND WHAT IS PURCHASED," which is hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] The present invention generally relates to stored value cards, and
more particularly to stored value cards such as prepaid or gift cards
which provide a user or recipient of the card with benefits, from at
least some of the merchants in the relevant financial network, beyond
what is purchased with the card.

[0004] 2. Related Art

[0005] Smart cards, which are portable transaction cards providing cash
equivalent value for use within an existing transaction infrastructure,
are becoming more and more prevalent in the U.S. and throughout the
world. Such cards are typically the size of conventional plastic credit
cards, and include an embedded computer chip having processing power and
memory to enable the card to be associated with a transaction account for
use by a consumer. Smart card-enhanced systems are in wide use in several
fields, including healthcare, banking, and transportation.

[0006] One typical smart card application is a "stored value card," which
is a pre-paid card that acts like an electronic purse, such as a gift
card. In stored value cards, a prepaid amount of currency value is stored
in the smart card memory for use as conventional cash, enabling the card
to be used. For example, once a customer deposits fifty dollars of value
into the account associated with the stored value card, the card may be
used, upon activation, for payments of up to fifty dollars.

[0007] In operation, a user inserts the card into a terminal device which
communicates with the card through contacts. The terminal device may be
part of a cash register, a vending machine, or another type of
point-of-sale device. Upon being inserted, the value amount of the
purchase is transferred from the card to the merchant terminal or to a
central clearing and authorization system such that the merchant may be
credited with the requisite amount of value. Consequently, the value
amount of the consumer's card is reduced correspondingly.

[0008] Stored value cards can be desirable for a number of reasons. For
example, they provide a safe and convenient way to avoid carrying or
handling cash and loose change. Also, they have found good use as gifts.
Furthermore, if the card holder desires cash, many transaction cards
allow access to funds through an automated teller machine (ATM).
Moreover, some cards are re-loadable, meaning that the consumer can add
funds to the associated account, which provides an extra measure of
convenience.

[0009] Stored value card systems can be operated both as "closed" or
"open" systems. Closed systems are limited to specific participating
merchants (e.g., a particular store or chain of stores), or at various
point of sale locations in a setting such as a college campus. Such cards
would not be compatible with point of sale terminals outside the closed
system. One example of a closed card is a pre-paid gift card that may
only be purchased at, and only be used at, a clothing retailer, such as
The Gap® store. Open systems allow use of the card at any merchant
having a compatible point of sale card reader or device, and therefore
open cards are financial transaction cards that are generally accepted at
different merchants.

[0010] The International Standards Organization (ISO) has established a
number of specifications for such electronic cards under the ISO/IEC
Standards Series 7810, 7811, 7816, and 10536. Typical smart cards include
a plurality of electrical contracts on one surface which provide input
and output interfaces with a microprocessor in the card. The cards can be
"contact" cards, meaning that their contacts interface with a terminal
via ohmic contact, or "contactless" cards, meaning that they rely on
close-coupling with a terminal, employing radio frequency (RFID)
communication between card and reader without physical insertion of the
card. Some smart cards now include both types of contact schemes, in that
they are compatible with terminals having either contact interfaces or
contactless interfaces.

[0011] The microprocessor in a smart card is able to store an operating
program and other information in volatile memory alterable by a Central
Processing Unit (CPU), which possesses hard-wired control circuitry. A
single integrated Circuit (IC) chip can contain the CPU and the various
types of memory, including volatile and non-volatile memory, which make
up the microprocessor.

[0012] Smart card readers read the data stored on the smart chard chips.
They can be plugged into computers, or can be built directly into
computers, keyboards, cell phones, or other electronic devices, Software
communicates with the reader and sends commands to manage the reader such
as power up and transfer commands. Further, smart cards employ various
forms of security for safety and protection.

[0013] Conventional stored value card systems are limited to providing
cash equivalent value in accordance with the pre-paid amount of currency
value stored in the smart card memory in advance, for use in a "closed"
or "open" system, as described above. However, there is a need for
providing to a user or receiver of the card benefits from certain
merchants in a financial network beyond what is purchased with the card.
There is also a need for providing to a user or receiver of the card a
selection of benefits from which he or she would like to choose. There is
also a need for a stored value card, usable within a financial network,
that is directed to a specific theme or themes to which benefits are
related, the benefits being provided by at least some of the merchants in
the network.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] The present invention meets the above-identified needs by providing
a system, method, and computer program product for providing a stored
value card that affords a user or receiver of the card benefits from at
least some of the merchants in a financial network beyond what is
purchased with the card. Another advantage of the present invention is
that it also provides a stored value card such as a gift card or pre-paid
card, usable within a financial network, that is directed to a specific
theme or themes to which the benefits are related, the benefits being
provided by at least some of the merchants in the network. The stored
value card could also not have a theme but offer a variety of benefits
across different categories.

[0015] In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, there
is provided a system, computer product and method for a card issuer
providing a stored value card to a purchaser, the stored value card
usable by a recipient of the card to pay merchants who participate in a
financial network. The method includes receiving a payment of a
predetermined amount from the purchaser, and associating a value with the
card, the value being at least as great as the predetermined amount
received from the purchaser. The method further includes activating the
stored value card, the activated stored value card being usable by the
recipient for paying any of the merchants in the financial network, and
being usable by the recipient to obtain a benefit beyond what is
purchased from at least some of the merchants in the financial network.

[0016] The stored value card may be associated with a specific theme and
may include a surface displaying an indication of that theme, and wherein
the benefit is related to the theme. The theme may be, for example, a
wedding, movies, dining out, kids, teens, birthdays, etc. The stored
value card could also not have a theme but offer a variety of benefits
across different categories. Further, the activating step may further
comprise associating an identifier with the card, the identifier being
usable by the recipient to obtain the benefit.

[0017] The method may further comprise maintaining a web site, and on the
website, providing a list of participating merchants offering one or more
benefits beyond what is purchased with the card, and providing a list of
the benefits being offered by each participating merchant. The method may
further include providing a participating merchant with access to the
website for updating the list of benefits provided by the participating
merchant.

[0018] In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention,
there is provided a system for maintaining a financial network. A
database can store information about participating merchants, card
holders, and individual transactions involving card holders' accounts,
each card holder holding a card usable for paying any of the
participating merchants and for obtaining a benefit beyond what is
purchased from at least some of the merchants in the financial network
once the card is loaded with a payment of a predetermined amount and
activated, until the predetermined amount is exhausted. A processor
processes the individual transactions using the information stored in the
database.

[0019] The database may include data identifying at least one card and
merchants related to the card, wherein the card is associated with a
specific theme and includes a surface displaying an indication of that
theme, and wherein the benefit is related to the theme. The theme may be
a wedding, movies, dining out, kids, teens, birthdays, etc. The system
may further include a web site providing a list of participating
merchants offering one or more benefits beyond what is purchased with the
card, and providing a list of benefits being offered by each
participating merchant. The system may further include providing a
participating merchant with access to the website for updating the list
of benefits provided by the participating merchant.

[0020] Further features and advantages of the present invention as well as
the structure and operation of various embodiments of the present
invention are described in detail below with reference to the
accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] The features and advantages of the present invention will become
more apparent from the detailed description set forth below when taken in
conjunction with the drawings in which like reference numbers indicate
identical or functionally similar elements.

[0022] FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate the front and back, respectively, of a
financial transaction instrument according to one embodiment of the
present invention.

[0023] FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a method according to one
embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] FIG. 3 is a diagram of a universe of a financial network which
includes a subset of merchants providing benefits corresponding to a
theme according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] FIG. 4 is a diagram of a universe of a financial network which
includes multiple subsets of merchants providing benefits corresponding
to multiple themes according to another embodiment of the present
invention.

[0026]FIG. 5 illustrates a system in accordance with one embodiment of
the present invention.

[0027] FIG. 6 illustrates one example of a customer website in accordance
with the present invention.

[0028] FIG. 7 illustrates an example of a computer system.

[0029] FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate another example of a customer website in
accordance with the present invention.

[0030] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example implementation of the
present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] The present invention is directed to a system, method and computer
program product for providing a stored value card, usable within a
financial network, that affords a user or receiver of the card benefits
beyond what is purchased with the card, the benefits being related to a
particular theme and provided by at least some of the merchants in a
financial network. The benefits include, but are of course not limited
to, discounts, gifts, special offers, special services, free goods or
services, store credits, benefits under a merchant's loyalty program, or
cash equivalent value.

[0032] The present invention is now described in terms of an exemplary
system in which the present invention, in an embodiment, would be
implemented. This is for convenience only and is not intended to limit
the application of the present invention. It will be apparent to one
skilled in the relevant art(s) how to implement the present invention in
alternative embodiments.

[0033] The present invention is for use with financial transaction
instruments including traditional plastic transaction cards,
titanium-containing, or other metal-containing, transaction cards, clear
and/or translucent transaction cards, foldable or otherwise
unconventionally-sized transaction cards, radio-frequency enabled
transaction cards, or other types of transaction cards, such as credit,
charge, debit, pre-paid, gift, or stored value cards, or any other like
financial transaction instrument. A financial transaction instrument may
also have electronic functionality provided by a network of electronic
circuitry that is printed or otherwise incorporated onto or within the
transaction instrument (and typically referred to as a "smart card"), or
be a fob having a transponder and an RFID reader.

[0034] With regard to use of a transaction account, users may communicate
with card issuers or merchants in person (e.g. at the box office),
telephonically, or electronically (e.g., from a user computer via the
Internet). During the interaction, the merchant may offer goods and/or
services to the user. The merchant may also offer the user the option of
paying for the goods and/or services using any number of available
transaction accounts. Furthermore, the transaction accounts may be used
by the merchant as a form of identification of the user. The merchant may
have a computing unit implemented in the form of a computer-server,
although other implementations are possible.

[0035] "Merchant" includes any individual, business, entity, customer,
hardware and/or software that receives a card number to facilitate a
transaction, whether or not in exchange for goods or services. For
example, a merchant may be an online bookstore, or a local restaurant.

[0036] In general, transaction accounts may be used for transactions
between the user and merchant through any suitable communication device,
such as, for example, a telephone network, an intranet, the global public
Internet, a point of interaction device (e.g., a point of sale (POS)
device, personal digital assistant (PDA), mobile telephone, kiosk, etc.),
online communications, off-line communications, wireless communications,
and/or the like.

[0037] An "account," "account number," or "account code", as used herein,
may include any device, code, number, letter, symbol, digital
certificate, smart chip, digital signal, analog signal, biometric or
other identifier/indicia suitably configured to allow a consumer to
access, interact with, or communicate with a financial transaction
system. The account number may optionally be located on or associated
with any financial transaction instrument (e.g., a charge, credit, debit,
prepaid, telephone, smart, magnetic stripe, bar code, transponder or
radio frequency card). The account number may be distributed and stored
in any form of plastic, electronic, magnetic, radio frequency (RF),
wireless, audio and/or optical device capable of transmitting or
downloading data from itself to a second device.

[0038] FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate the front and back, respectively, of a
financial transaction instrument according to one embodiment of the
present invention. The instrument in this example is a smart card 100,
which, as illustrated in FIG. 1A, includes an account number 120, a theme
design surface 130, and a smart card chip 140. The smart card chip 140
includes a microprocessor, a card reader interface, a RAM, a ROM, a
non-volatile memory, and a cryptographic module (none of which are shown,
but all of which are known in the art). FIG. 1B, which illustrates the
back of the smart card 100, shows a magnetic strip 150 which contains
information for performing multiple functions. Within the magnetic strip
information is an area 150A that contains a flag to inform a merchant's
terminal that the card is in their program.

[0039] FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a method according to one
embodiment of the present invention. The method is for providing a stored
value card or prepaid gift card to a purchaser, the gift card being
usable by a recipient thereof to pay merchants who are in a financial
network.

[0040] In step S210, a card provider receives a predetermined amount of
money from a purchaser wishing to purchase a prepaid gift card. Gift
cards as envisioned herein may be provided to correspond with any amount
of predetermined money, for example, denominations of $50, $100, $500, or
any other amount.

[0041] In step S220, the card provider loads the predetermined amount of
money into the stored value card such that the card is equipped with cash
equivalent value corresponding to the predetermined amount. The card is
activated in step S230, which may include associating an identifier with
the card, the identifier being usable by the recipient to obtain a
benefit.

[0042] At this point, in step S240, the card provider enables the
recipient to use the card for paying any merchant in the financial
network. The recipient is also enabled, in step S250, to use the card for
obtaining a benefit or benefits beyond what is purchased, from at least a
subset of the merchants in the financial network. The card may be
associated with a specific theme, for example, movies or weddings, with
which the subset of merchants is also associated. The card 100 in FIG.
1A, for example, conveys a dining theme to a recipient in a festive
manner on a surface 130 displaying an indication of that theme.

[0043] In this way, while the card of the present invention can be used to
pay any merchant in the financial network, the participating merchants
(those associated with the theme) are also afforded the opportunity to
offer benefits to the recipient beyond what is purchased with the card.
The merchants can use the availability of these additional benefits to
attract customers to their business, and the invention provides the
recipient with options beyond those provided by typical gift cards, as
conventional gift cards are limited to specific merchants in a specific
system all providing the same feature: cash equivalent value on the gift
card commensurate with the amount of monetary value added onto the card.
On the other hand, the present invention provides a multi-tiered system
as shown in FIG. 3.

[0044] In FIG. 3, the universe of the entire financial network in which
the recipient can use the card of the present invention to make purchases
anywhere therein is shown by the outer circle, or reference numeral 300.
However, within that financial network 300, a subset 310 of merchants,
e.g. those associated with a particular theme (for example, a movie
theme), can provide the recipient with benefits beyond what is purchased
with the card. Alternatively, the subset 310 of merchants may include
only some of the merchants in the financial network who are associated
with the theme.

[0045] For example, in the dining gift card example shown in FIG. 1A, a
card recipient may enjoy an evening out at a restaurant of their choice.
Because the card is good for purchases anywhere within the financial
network, recipients can choose where they want to dine, whether it be a
favorite restaurant in their neighborhood or a new place they wish to
try. Then, the dining gift card comes with added benefits, in that the
recipient is provided, by participating restaurants with a selection of
special offers to choose from. For example, a participating restaurant
may provide a choice of a free dessert, a free after-dinner drink, or the
like when the dining card is used at their restaurant. The dining gift
card may be available in any denomination and may be purchased online and
at participating retailers, banks, malls, and other merchants.

[0046] As another example, the gift card could be a movie gift card. In
this example, the movie gift card can be used to pay any merchant in the
financial network, and participating theaters or video stores can offer
benefits to recipients who patronize their theater or rent a video from
their store. Such benefits may include, for example, free movie tickets,
free movie rentals, "buy one get one free" popcorn, etc. The movie gift
card, which can have a festive movie theme printed thereon, may be
available in any denomination and may be purchased online and at
participating theaters, retailers, banks, malls, and other merchants.

[0047] As another example, the card could be a wedding gift card. In this
example, the wedding gift card can be given to a happy couple as a
wedding gift in order to provide the couple with purchasing options
anywhere in the financial network. Further, participating merchants
associated with the wedding theme can offer benefits to the recipients
who use the card at their store. Such benefits may include, for example,
free prints from an online digital photo developing service, or discounts
at national retailers. The wedding gift card, which can have a festive
wedding theme printed thereon, may be available in any denomination and
may be purchased online and at participating theaters, retailers, banks,
malls, and other merchants.

[0048] It is of course to be understood that the dining, movie, wedding,
kids, teens, and birthday themes are examples, and that the invention is
not limited in any way to these examples. Other examples and themes are
readily envisioned. Accordingly, a card in accordance with the invention
can be used not only at restaurants and movie theaters and the like, but
also at a variety of other retailers and types of retailers, and in
connection with a variety of themes.

[0049] It is further noted that the invention as illustrated in FIG. 3 is
not limited to including just one subset of merchants associated with one
theme, as shown in that figure. Rather, the financial network 300 may
include multiple subsets of merchants associated with multiple themes
(and some of the merchants may belong to more than one subset). For
example, FIG. 4 shows a universe of a financial network 400 which
includes multiple (three in this example) subsets of merchants 410, 420,
and 430, corresponding to three different themes A, B, and C (for
example, a movie theme, a dining theme, and a wedding theme). This
provides the recipient with benefits beyond what is purchased with the
card, and from merchants from multiple subsets. In this way, a card in
accordance with the present invention can be multi-themed, for example
can have a movie theme and a dining theme, and the recipient can be
afforded benefits from merchants within each theme. It is noted that
merchants may belong to more than one subset.

[0050] An advantage of the present invention is that it provides the
ability to purchase and receive prepaid or gift cards which not only are
usable within the particular financial network, but are also related to
specific themes such that the recipient can enjoy benefits related to
something he or she likes from a subset of merchants relating to that
theme. If the recipient is a movie lover, he or she can enjoy
movie-related benefits. If the recipients enjoy dining out, they can
enjoy dining- or restaurant-related benefits. If the recipients are
getting married, they can enjoy benefits beyond what they simply purchase
with the card. Such benefits may be uploaded on the card and may accrue
in any number of ways, for example based on the monetary value of the
card, or on the classification (e.g. "gold status") of the card, or from
a merchant providing such benefits to all card holders.

[0051] Another advantage of the present invention is that it provides the
card recipient with a selection of benefits from which to choose, and a
simple way to view and choose from the selection, in so doing, the
recipient can access a website and view a list of benefits being offered
by the merchants within the particular theme(s). The recipient can also
choose from the list and access further information about the benefits
and options available. The recipient may also see a list of benefits
available in different locations, for example if he or she is traveling
to Miami and wants to see a list of benefits provided by merchants in
that city. The card provider can maintain the website, interact with
recipients, and upload benefits information provided to them from the
merchants. Information on benefits which, of course, can change on a
regular basis, may be made available to recipients over the telephone or
other suitable means as well.

[0052] In this way, the card issuer can maintain a website listing at
least some of the merchants in a financial network offering benefits
beyond what is purchased with the card, and listing what those benefits
or extras are. And the card issuer can establish and offer the
predetermined benefit or benefits. Further, access to the website may be
provided to the merchants in order to permit them to update their list of
benefits themselves. Also, the website can be accessed by members of the
general public who do not have a card, in order to view information
relating to the card, which may include a list of benefits being provided
and a list of merchants providing them.

[0053]FIG. 5 illustrates a system 500 in accordance with one embodiment
of the present invention. The system 500 shows a plurality of merchants
540-1 to 540-N, who accept payment by means of the issuers' cards, each
connected to the card issuer 520 via a network. Those merchants that
participate in providing recipients with benefits beyond what is
purchased with the card are shown with asterisks in FIG. 5. Specifically,
in FIG. 5, merchants 540-3, 540-4, and 540-7 are shown as such
participants. The card issuer 520 runs a customer website 530, which
provides card holders with the ability to log in using an account code
and view a list of available benefits. Participating merchants may also
log in to the customer website using an access code in order to update or
revise the list of benefits that they provide.

[0054] FIG. 6 illustrates one example of customer website 530 in
accordance with the present invention. Customers can log in through
access point 640 to view the theme(s) to which the card is directed and a
list of benefits being offered by the various participating merchants in
exchange for use of the card. In this example, the card offers benefits
directed to movies and dinner. Clicking on the Movies hyperlink 610 would
pull up a list of the participating merchants for this theme, and further
clicking on a particular merchant would provide the list of benefits
offered by that merchant (of course, any lists could be shown all on the
same screen, or in various forms and formats). For example, by clicking
on Cinema 1, the customer can see that this cinema is offering a choice
among a free drink, one free popcorn, and a two-for-one. By clicking on
Video Store 1, the customer sees that this video store is offering either
of a free rental and one free candy item.

[0055] Clicking on the Dinner hyperlink 620 would pull up a list of
participating restaurants, and further clicking on a particular
restaurant would provide a list of benefits offered by that restaurant.
For example, by clicking on Restaurant 1, the customer can see that this
restaurant is offering either of a free dessert and a free appetizer. The
Sort hyperlink 630 may provide various options for sorting the
information, including sorting by location, by store or chain of stores,
etc.

[0056] FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate another example of customer website 530 in
accordance with the present invention. FIG. 8 shows an Offer Landing page
800 which enables customers to view benefits (special offers, coupons,
etc.) associated with their card or with other cards. FIG. 9 shows an
Offer Redemption page 900 in which card holders can redeem benefits from
their card. In this example, the card offers benefits directed to
weddings, i.e., a Wedding Gift Card.

[0057] In this example, customers are driven to the Offer Landing page 800
via a drive to web marketing messaging, and are provided with a list of
participating merchants 808. Card holders can log on to the Offer
Redemption page (FIG. 9) to enable them to view a list of benefits being
offered by the various participating merchants of the theme(s) associated
with the card, in exchange for use of the card. In this example, entering
the Gift Card number into box 804 and then clicking on the Get Offers
access point 806 would pull up the Offer Redemption page 900 (FIG. 9),
once the system verifies that the card number entered is associated with
the Wedding Gift Card. The Offer Redemption page 900 provides the card
holder with a description of the offers available 902-1 to 902-N for that
card from the various participating merchants. Further clicking on a Get
This Promotion hypertext link 904-1 to 904-N would provide either a
downloadable coupon associated with that offer for the customer to print
when redeeming in store, or a promotion code for the customer to enter
when redeeming online.

[0058] Thus, in this example, the customer can see a description of the
Wedding Gift Card offers available at Merchant 1 (e.g., a home goods
store) and two offers available at Merchant 2. The customer can see that
Merchant 1 is offering 20% off when spending $200 or more using the
Wedding Gift Card. By clicking on the Get This Promotion hypertext link
904-1, another browser will open up with a printable coupon that the
customer can bring in for store redemption. The printable coupon may be
in any suitable file form-at, e.g., a .pdf.

[0059] It is noted that boxes 812 (FIG. 8) and 906 (FIG. 9) can provide an
area for graphics or textual messages or advertisements. Further,
customers, even if they do not hold a particular card, can also see a
list of cards available 810-1 to 810-N. 808-1 to 808-N displays a list of
participating merchants and could possibly highlight the benefits that
these merchants will offer.

[0060] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example implementation of the
present invention. The system provider offers a gift portfolio 1002,
which, in this example, includes gift cards 1004 and gift checks 1006.
The gift cards 1008-1 to 1008-N may be modeled after any number of
themes. For example, the card provider can offer a gift card especially
for kids 1008-1, a gift card especially for teens 1008-2, a gift card
especially for birthdays 1008-3, a gift card especially for dining
1008-4, a gift card especially for weddings 1008-5, a gift card
especially for movies 1008-N, etc. (Of course, these examples are in no
way meant to be limiting, and the card provider can offer a gift card
designed to any other theme.)

[0061] A customer or potential customer is driven to an Offer Landing and
Redemption Page 1012 by way of web portal 1010. From there, the customer
can see a list of the gift cards offered 1008-1 to 1008-N, as well as the
various benefits, themes, and participating merchants associated with
each. Customers can also view a list of benefits being offered by the
various participating merchants of the theme(s) associated with the card,
in exchange for use of the card. For example, the customer can view the
benefits provided by the dining gift card 1008-4, the weddings gift card
1008-5, and the movies gift card 1008-N, etc. (Of course, as will be
understood by those having ordinary skill in the art, this information
may be provided in ways other than website form as well.) From Offer
Landing and Redemption Page 1012, the customer can print (e.g. in .pdf
form) a promotion code, or coupons displaying the offer, for example by
entering the gift card number. A digital promo code database 1014 and an
online or in-store coupon database 1016 can enable the system to provide
a unique promotion code or coupon to each customer.

[0062] Of course, the present invention is not limited to the examples
presented herein, and various modifications thereof are readily
envisioned. Special offers can be available for all products within the
gift portfolio 1002, and are of course not limited to the examples
presented.

[0063] The Offer Landing and Redemption Page 1012 is shown as one page in
FIG. 10, but in alternative embodiment can be broken into more than one
page, e.g., an Offer Landing Page and an Offer Redemption Page. In this
embodiment, customers may first be driven to the Offer Landing Page by
way of web portal 1010, and from there, the customer may see a list of
the gift cards offered 1008-1 to 1008-N, as well as the various benefits,
themes, offers, and participating merchants associated with each.
Customers may also view the Offer Redemption Page which enables them to
view a list of benefits being offered by the various participating
merchants of the theme(s) associated with the card, in exchange for use
of the card. For example, the customer can view the benefits provided by
the dining gift card 1008-4, the weddings gift card 1008-5, or the movies
gift card 1008-N, by accessing a webpage or webpages from the Offer
Redemption Page, which is linked to the digital promotion code database
1014 and the online or in-store coupon database 1016. The customer can
also print from that page (e.g. in .pdf form) a promotion code, or
coupons displaying the offer.

[0064] Further, as noted the gift portfolio 1002 includes gift cards 1004
and gift cheques 1006. A gift cheque 1006 may comprise, for example, a
paper instrument which is associated with a value of money and can be
tendered by its recipient in lieu of the same amount of cash to pay
merchants who participate in a financial network. (The gift cheque 1006
need not be of paper, but can be made of other similar materials.) In
accordance with this invention, the gift cheque 1006 is further usable by
its recipient to obtain a benefit beyond what is purchased, from at least
some of the merchants in the financial network. The gift cheque 1006 may,
in one embodiment, be associated with a specific theme and may include a
surface displaying an indication of that theme, the benefit being related
to the theme. Information pertaining to gift cheque recipients may be
stored in a database similarly to what is described herein in relation to
information on recipients of gift cards.

[0065] It is noted that benefits in accordance with gift cards of the
present invention may be fulfilled in accordance with a process which
automates fulfillment for both the merchants and the card recipients.
That is, benefits can be fulfilled automatically on the swipe of the gift
card. For example, if a card recipient goes to the movie theater and uses
their movie gift card to purchase a movie ticket, the recipient can
automatically receive a free bucket of popcorn.

[0066] The present invention or any part(s) or function(s) thereof may be
implemented using hardware, software or a combination thereof and may be
implemented in one or more computer systems or other processing systems.
Useful machines for performing the operations of the present invention
include general purpose digital computers or similar devices, in fact, in
one embodiment, the invention is directed toward one or more computer
systems capable of carrying out the functionality described herein. An
example of a computer system 700 is shown in FIG. 7.

[0067] The computer system 700 includes one or more processors, such as
processor 704. The processor 704 is connected to a communication
infrastructure 706 (e.g., a communications bus, cross-over bar, or
network). Various software embodiments are described in terms of this
exemplary computer system. After reading this description, it will become
apparent to a person skilled in the relevant art(s) how to implement the
invention using other computer systems and/or architectures.

[0068] Computer system 700 can include a display interface 702 that
forwards graphics, text, and other data from the communication
infrastructure 706 (or from a frame buffer not shown) for display on the
display unit 730. Display interface 702 can communicate with browser 732.
Computer system 700 also includes a main memory 708, preferably random
access memory (RAM), and may also include a secondary memory 710 and a
database 734. The secondary memory 710 may include, for example, a hard
disk drive 712 and/or a removable storage drive 714, representing a
floppy disk drive, a magnetic tape drive, an optical disk drive, etc. The
removable storage drive 714 reads from and/or writes to a removable
storage unit 718 in a well known manner. Removable storage unit 718
represents a floppy disk, magnetic tape, optical disk, etc. which is read
by and written to by removable storage drive 714. As will be appreciated,
the removable storage unit 718 includes a computer usable storage medium
having stored therein computer software and/or data. For example, the
secondary memory 710 can store a database storing information of
participating merchants and card holders, and individual transactions
involving card holders' accounts. Processor 704 can process the
individual transactions using the information stored in the database, and
the database can include data identifying at least one theme and
merchants related to the theme, and data relating to benefits being
offered by each merchant participating in a theme beyond what is
purchased with the card.

[0069] In alternative embodiments, secondary memory 710 may include other
similar devices for allowing computer programs or other instructions to
be loaded into computer system 700. Such devices may include, for
example, a removable storage unit 722 and an interface 720. Examples of
such may include a program cartridge and cartridge interface (such as
that found in video game devices), a removable memory chip (such as an
erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM), or programmable read only
memory (PROM)) and associated socket, and other removable storage units
722 and interfaces 720, which allow software and data to be transferred
from the removable storage unit 722 to computer system 700.

[0070] Computer system 700 may also include a communications interface
724. Communications interface 724 allows software and data to be
transferred between computer system 700 and external devices. Examples of
communications interface 724 may include a modem, a network interface
(such as an Ethernet card), a communications port, a Personal Computer
Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) slot and card, etc.
Software and data transferred via communications interface 724 are in the
form of signals 728 which may be electronic, electromagnetic, optical or
other signals capable of being received by communications interface 724.
These signals 728 are provided to communications interface 724 via a
communications path (e.g., channel) 726. This channel 726 carries signals
728 and may be implemented using wire or cable, fiber optics, a telephone
line, a cellular link, a radio frequency (RF) link and other
communications channels. Browser 736 is connected to communication
infrastructure 706.

[0071] In this document, the terms "computer program medium" and "computer
usable medium" are used to refer generally to media such as removable
storage drive 714, a hard disk installed in hard disk drive 712, and
signals 728. These computer program products provide software to computer
system 700. The invention is directed to such computer program products.

[0072] Computer programs (also referred to as computer control logic) are
stored in main memory 708 and/or secondary memory 710. Computer programs
may also be received via communications interface 724. Such computer
programs, when executed, enable the computer system 700 to perform the
features of the present invention, as discussed herein. In particular,
the computer programs, when executed, enable the processor 704 to perform
the features of the present invention. Accordingly, such computer
programs represent controllers of the computer system 700.

[0073] In an embodiment where the invention is implemented using software,
the software may be stored in a computer program product and loaded into
computer system 700 using removable storage drive 714, hard drive 712 or
communications interface N24. The control logic (software), when executed
by the processor 704, causes the processor 704 to perform the functions
of the invention as described herein.

[0074] In another embodiment, the invention is implemented primarily in
hardware using, for example, hardware components such as application
specific integrated circuits (ASICs). Implementation of the hardware
state machine so as to perform the functions described herein will be
apparent to persons skilled in the relevant art(s).

[0075] In yet another embodiment, the invention is implemented using a
combination of both hardware and software.

[0076] While various embodiments of the present invention have been
described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by
way of example, and not limitation. It will be apparent to persons
skilled in the relevant art(s) that various changes in form and detail
can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the
present invention. Thus, the present invention should not be limited by
any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined
only in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents.

[0077] In addition, it should be understood that the Figures illustrated
in the attachments, which highlight the functionality and advantages of
the present invention, are presented for example purposes only. The
architecture of the present invention is sufficiently flexible and
configurable, such that it may be utilized (and navigated) in ways other
than that shown in the accompanying figures.

[0078] Further, the purpose of the foregoing Abstract is to enable the
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially
the scientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not
familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly
from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical
disclosure of the application. The Abstract is not intended to be
limiting as to the scope of the present invention in any way. It is also
to be understood that the steps and processes recited in the claims need
not be performed in the order presented.